(Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
An interesting decision with regard to the dower rights of Jewish husbands was handed down by the County Court of Leeds recently.
A Jewish woman, Anna Sutton, brought suit to recover the amount of £400 deposited in a joint account with her husband.
The account consisted of £200 which had been her own property and £200 given to her by her parents as a dowry. In accordance with the Jewish dower custom, the £200 furnished by the parents would become the property of the husband after marriage.
The couple were married in May 1925, at the Registry Office, but no religious ceremony was held as Sutton declared himself an atheist and refused to be married according to Jewish rites. The couple never lived together.
The judge ordered that the entire amount be paid by the bank to Mrs. Sutton. declaring that Sutton was not entitled to the dowry as there had been no religious consummation of the marriage.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
